Tag: 220602

Asparagus, feta and lemon salad

With June comes fresh produce from local fields, including asparagus. This recipe does a fine job of highlighting this vegetable while also adding some textures and flavors.

Let’s talk about the star ingredient. Asparagus almost always is sold in bundles that are about a pound in total. However, what varies immensely is the size of each spear. Sometimes the bundle is composed of 40 skinny stalks, and other times you get a bundle of a dozen spears. Thus, when making this recipe, you need to base the roasting time on the size of your asparagus.

The other ingredients are pretty straightforward: lemon, feta, almonds. For almonds, I prefer using sliced over slivered, as they are thinner and offer a more delicate crunch. If you can’t find sliced, slivered will work well enough.

This salad is best when eaten chilled. Although you may be tempted to serve or eat it once it is made, I highly recommend waiting the extra 30 minutes. On a hot summer day, you will be glad that you did so.

Asparagus, feta and lemon salad
Makes 2 side salads

1 pound asparagus
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper
1 lemon
2 to 3 Tablespoons feta
1 to 2 Tablespoons sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Trim ends from asparagus. (This should be where the stalk changes from white to green.)
Place asparagus on a rimmed baking pan; drizzle with olive oil, toss.
Season with salt and pepper.
Depending on the thickness of your asparagus, roast for 5 to 12 minutes.*
Transfer asparagus to a cutting board and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Cut asparagus into bite-sized pieces.
Divide asparagus between two salad plates.
Cut lemon in half, reserving one half for a different use.
Zest the remaining half, and sprinkle over asparagus.
Then juice the same half and drizzle over asparagus.
Top with feta crumbles and almonds.
Chill individual salads for an additional 30 minutes.

  • Check for doneness starting at 5 minutes. You want the asparagus to be easily pierced by a fork but not to be mushy.

Featured Photo: Asparagus, feta and lemon salad. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

Bacon my way downtown

Annual bacon and beer festival returns

By Jack Walsh

[email protected]

Crispy, savory bacon dishes and unique flavors of beer are the two main focuses of the highly anticipated NH Bacon & Beer Festival, set to return rain or shine to Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack on Saturday, June 4.

The sixth annual event, a fundraiser for the High Hopes Foundation of New Hampshire, is expected to be the largest to date. There will be around 50 craft brewers — twice as many as there were last year — and 25 bacon samples from area restaurants and competitive barbecuing teams, totalling up to three times the amount from last year. Additionally, there will be a new Pulled Pork People’s Choice Contest, consisting of more than 25 pulled pork samples from competition teams across the Northeast.

Just before the festival, hundreds of pounds of bacon provided by North Country Smokehouse are distributed among the food vendors, each of whom has the creative freedom to incorporate it how they would like into their dishes. Bacon-inspired eats such as bacon cheese fries, bacon pizza, bacon-wrapped Italian sausage, maple bacon scallops, spring green salad with bacon bits, and maple bacon ice cream will all be on the menu throughout the day.

Despite ongoing staffing and supply challenges due to the pandemic, event organizer Jeremy Garrett said last year’s Bacon & Beer Festival raised the most money since its launch — around $165,000. Proceeds directly benefit the High Hopes Foundation, a Nashua-based nonprofit that provides life-enhancing experiences to chronically and terminally ill children.

“We have a number of restaurants and food trucks,” Garrett said. “It’s a unique event to support a great cause. … It’s going to be the biggest one we’ve ever had.”

There will be a few small up and coming breweries in attendance, as well as new food trucks and restaurants looking to make a name for themselves statewide. Local brewery favorites such as 603 Brewery of Londonderry, Concord Craft Brewing and Granite Roots Brewing of Troy will all be in attendance, and people should expect a diverse showing of more than 100 different craft brews to sample.

Upon entry through the gate, you’ll be given a sampling glass and be granted continuous three-and-a-half-ounce craft beer pours for the duration of the festival. Garrett said VIP ticket holders will also have the option to purchase individual beers inside the Biergarten VIP lounge with their golden tickets.

The festival is restricted only to attendees ages 21 and up, and no outside alcohol is permitted.

Live music by the Nashua-based band The Slakas will be featured.

6th annual NH Bacon & Beer Festival
When: Saturday, June 4, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. (VIP admittance begins at 12:30 p.m.)
Where: Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack
Cost: General admission is $60 per person (includes access to all available beer tastings and food samples while they last); designated driver admission is $35 per person (food samples only)
Visit: nhbaconbeer.com
Event is 21+ only. No children, pets or outside alcohol allowed.

Participating bacon samplers
• The Alamo Texas BBQ & Tequila Bar (alamobarbecue.com)
• All Real Meal (allrealmeal.com)
• Bone Daddy’s Competition BBQ Team (find them on Facebook)
• Celebrations Catering (celebrationsmenu.com)
• Dandido Sauce (dandidosauce.com)
• Dave’s Gourmet Kettle Corn (find them on Facebook)
• Granite State Whoopie Pies (granitestatewhoopiepies.com)
• Heavnly Dogs and Catering (find them on Facebook)
• Hill’s Home Market (hillshomemarket.com)
• Jeannette’s Fried Dough & Fried Treats (find them on Facebook)
• The Melted Cheesiere (find them on Facebook)
• Morgan’s Diner (morgansdiner.com)
• North Country Smokehouse (ncsmokehouse.com)
• Papá Grande Comfort Bites (papagrandecomfort.com)
• Phily’s Good Eats (find them on Facebook)
• Saucehound (saucehoundbbq.com)
• Stark Brewing Co. (starkbrewingcompany.com)
• Stumble Inn Bar & Grill (stumbleinnnh.com)
• The Traveling Foodie (jrmcateringllc.com)
• Uno Pizzeria & Grill (unos.com)
• Welbilt (welbilt.com)

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Flavors of the Gate City

Taste of Downtown Nashua returns

By Jack Walsh

[email protected]

Restaurants new and established will be offering the public an opportunity to discover their most popular options on Main Street in the Gate City during the Taste of Downtown Nashua, which returns on Wednesday, June 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., for the first time in three years. The 26th annual event will feature 19 participating locations for attendees to experience, as well as 16 retail shops for ticket holders to browse through.

In its 26th year, this celebration highlights locally owned businesses including restaurants, breweries showcasing their beer, and other food and beverage vendors sharing their specialties for all in the longest-running downtown tasting tour of its kind. Great American Downtown Executive Director Carolyn Walley looks forward to this event making Nashua look alive again. “The [event] is all about bringing people downtown inside the retail businesses while simultaneously trying the food that is offered,” Walley said. “I see the Taste as a kickoff to the summer and a kickoff to getting people back to enjoying local shops. There’s going to be three different bands and it should be a lively night.”

Main Street features a handful of new restaurants and retail businesses since the pandemic struck, and the June 8 event will help in creating more of an opportunity for these establishments to showcase themselves to locals effectively.

Caribbean Breeze, for example, just recently celebrated its grand opening on May 19. It’s the only restaurant around that offers different types of authentic food from five Caribbean islands, including Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Owner and founder Gerald Oriol said he hopes to share options such as chicharrones de pollo, curry chicken and more with the community on June 8.

“[For] anyone who comes into the restaurant … when they eat the food, they feel like they’re at home,” Oriol said.

Another restaurant scheduled to take part in this event is Raga Contemporary Kitchen, an eatery most notably known for its modern Indian food and complementing cocktails. General manager Saurav Goel said that the kitchen serves some of the world’s most famous versions of curries, and that those who choose to stop by can expect to try a variety of dishes from their appetizer menu including Punjabi samosa (potato- and pea-filled pastries), Delhi aloo tikki chaat (a crispy potato dish with sweet and spicy chutneys) and bhuna murgh (boneless chicken dry curry).

In addition to the foods, attendees ages 21 and older will have the opportunity to sample beer offered at The Flight Center and The Peddler’s Daughter, courtesy of Bellavance Beverage Co. Live music performances throughout the night will include Hunter, The Human’s Being, and the Nick Goumas Jazz Quartet.

According to Great American Downtown, each ticket purchased has a treasure map holding various “taste discoveries,” and those who purchase their tickets prior to the event will have the option to plan out their route based on which establishments they feel may suit them the best.

Taste of Downtown Nashua
When: Wednesday, June 8, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Main Street and several connecting side streets in downtown Nashua
Cost: $45; tickets can be purchased online through Eventbrite
Visit: downtownnashua.org

Participating food and beverage purveyors
Bellavance Beverage Co. (bellavancebev.com)
Caribbean Breeze (find them on Facebook @caribbeanbreezerestaurant)
Casa Vieja Mexican Grill (find them on Facebook)
Celebrations Catering (celebrationsmenu.com)
Edible Arrangements (ediblearrangements.com)
Empanellie’s (empanellies.com)
The Flight Center Beer Cafe (flightcenterbc.com)
Giant of Siam (giantofsiam.com)
jajabelles (jajabelles.com)
Joanne’s Kitchen & Coffee Shop (find them on Facebook @joanneskitchenllc)
MT’s Local Kitchen & Wine Bar (mtslocal.com)
The Peddler’s Daughter (thepeddlersdaughter.com)
Raga Contemporary Kitchen (find them on Facebook @raganashua)
Riverwalk Cafe & Music Bar (riverwalknashua.com)
Riviera Nayarit (rivieranh.com)
San Francisco Kitchen (sfkitchen.com)
Stella Blu (stellablu-nh.com)
Subzero Nitrogen Ice Cream (subzeroicecream.com)
Surf Restaurant (surfseafood.com)
Tostao’s Tapas – Bar (tostaostapasbar.com)

Featured photo: Scenes from the Taste of Downtown Nashua in 2018. Photos by Allegra Boverman.

The Weekly Dish 22/06/02

News from the local food scene

• Gyros to go: Join St. George Greek Orthodox Church (650 Hanover St., Manchester) for A Taste of Glendi gyro drive-thru event on Saturday, June 4, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. No pre-ordering is necessary — attendees can drive up to the church and order a meal for $10, which will include a ground lamb and beef gyro with herbs and spices, along with a bag of chips and a soda or water. Orders are cash only. St. George’s annual Glendi, meanwhile, is due to return for its 43rd year from Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 18. Visit stgeorgeglendi.com.

• All about herbs: Herb & Garden Day is due to return to the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road, Warner) on Saturday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Presented by the New Hampshire Herbal Network, a local chapter of the American Herbalists Guild, the annual event features a full day of workshops dedicated to all kinds of topics related to herb growing and gardening, along with local food vendors, an herbal market and plant sale, raffles, children’s activities and more. This year’s theme is “Grow Your Roots,” building on last year’s “Roots” theme, which focused on herbalist diversity and ancestors. General admission is $35 and grants attendees access to all of the workshops. A $5 rate is also available for those who just want to attend the herbal market, which will feature a variety of local herbalists, farmers, gardeners and environmental and agricultural organizations. Visit nhherbalnetwork.wordpress.com/herbday.

• Tea time: Join The Cozy Tea Cart of Brookline for some garden afternoon tea on Sunday, June 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Gatherings at The Colonel Shepard House (29 Mont Vernon St., Milford). In addition to a selection of fine-quality teas, there will be various foods available, like tea breads, sandwiches, pastries and more. The cost is $39.95 per person and reservations are required. Visit thecozyteacart.com or call 249-9111.

• Season of strawberries: The Friends of the Library of Windham will present their annual strawberry festival and book fair, scheduled for Saturday, June 4, from noon to 6 p.m., at Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road, Windham). The event will feature freshly prepared strawberry shortcake available for purchase, along with eats from several local food trucks, restaurants and other vendors. Additional activities will include face painting, bounce houses, a dunk tank and live music. A collection of “berry sweet raffles,” featuring more than a dozen themed baskets of prizes, will also be up for grabs. Visit flowwindham.org.

• Tropical vibes: Last week, Boston Billiard Club & Casino (55 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua) debuted The Container Bar, a new full-service outdoor bar built entirely from a retired 40-foot shipping container. According to a press release, the neon pink-colored bar is situated in the casino’s existing beer garden and is outfitted with both sun and shade seating, as well as multiple TVs, eight rotating draft lines and lunch and dinner menus also available. It’s open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Visit bostonbilliardclub.com.

On The Job – Jennifer Gange

Jennifer Gange

Outdoor sensory play equipment designer

Jennifer Gange of Pelham is the founder and CEO of Earth Craft Creations, which builds custom children’s outdoor sensory play equipment for home and school settings.

Explain your job and what it entails.

Earth Craft Creations builds amazing outdoor sensory toys for home and school settings, [like] mud kitchens [and] oversized acrylic framed easels. … Working one-on-one with customers to determine the best fit for their needs and wants is something … I really enjoy. … I’m also able to work with schools to create custom sensory play stations for their specific outdoor spaces. I love the creative process involved in helping to see their visions come to life.

How long have you had this job?

I launched Earth Craft Creations almost two years ago during the early-ish months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

My love of playing outdoors and a predisposition for very involved daydreaming.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I needed all my prior life experiences to get me to this point. In my former work life, I spent years working in different roles with children and adults with disabilities. From these exceptional people, I saw the immeasurable value of living in the moment and the wisdom of finding joy in simplicity. I also became familiar with the multitude of benefits on well-being and all areas of development with engaging in sensory-based recreation activities. For a time, I [worked] for my father Anthony in his insurance business. … While working for my father under his very organized office manager, I was able to learn and practice some of this using record keeping and billing systems that would later allow me to create key elements of the systems I use now to manage the daily operations of my own business. … In addition to my prior work experiences, my formal education is in social work, education and counseling psychology. Different pieces of all of this aid me in the different roles I currently fill.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Most days I wear leggings, my favorite L.L. Bean sweatshirt and sneakers.

What was it like starting during the pandemic?

Amazing. Like many people, I think the changing circumstances we were all faced with brought some things into focus and perspective, including the idea for this business, which I had been working on for a year prior to launching.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

I can’t really answer this. A lot of the enjoyment I have found in this career change adventure has been in learning as I go. I’m not someone who needs to have all the answers before starting a project. Inspiration, flexible thinking, good work habits, a bit of direction and faith in the creative process are more important to me.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was scooping ice cream.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

A dear friend of mine, an amazing woman and business owner I worked for while I was in college, told me, ‘It’s better to work smart than to work hard.’ At this point, I’m certainly working hard, but I like to think I’m also working smart. At least in overseeing an entire operation, I can now say I know exactly what she meant by that.

Five favorites

Favorite book: As far as fiction goes, I adore all of Jodi Picoult’s writing and am a fan of historical fiction. I enjoy nonfiction as well, in particular studies in spirituality, religion, culture, positive psychology and neurodiversity.
Favorite movie: The Last Unicorn
Favorite music: Fleetwood Mac, Smashing Pumpkins and Snoop Dogg are a few favorites.
Favorite food: Thai food and ice cream.
Favorite thing about NH: I love that we are surrounded with so much beautiful nature. Walking in the woods or being by the ocean are instantly healing and uplifting.

Featured photo: Jennifer Gange. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 22/06/02

Dear Donna,

Picked this up last year, and one of the dolls is missing. Does it have any value the way it is?

Thank you for any information.

K

Dear K,

It’s tough to give a value on items with damage, missing pieces etc. I do think, though, being a Cabbage Patch toy it still might have value.

Your little box of Cabbage figurines manufactured in 1984 is by a company out of Georgia. If complete and in good condition the values run from $25 to $50.

Knowing that it falls into a very collectible market, just the figures individually could hold value to others missing one as well. You just have work ahead of you to find your missing one.

My suggestion would be to look at thrift stores, flea markets and online. Good luck to you finding your treasure and thanks for sharing with us.

Donna

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